by: Art Ladaga

A week ago, super typhoon Yolanda ravaged many parts of the country. Homes and other structures were reduced to rubble. Many lives were lost, washed away by the colossal floods brought about by the continuous rain. And survivors were left with almost nothing, struggling to ask for help in numerous kinds. Thankfully, various donations kept pouring in from the local and international community even now.

As the relief operations continue, a lot if issues and perspectives have surfaced. From the Filipino’s resiliency up to the country’s typhoon mitigation system, a lot of people have raised their thoughts on the event. But if one were to really assess the situation, what can on really obtain from such an experience?

Mr. Armand Bengco, Executive Director of the Colayco Foundation for Education, identified three major lessons from the typhoon:

1.       Calamities will come.Natural disasters will always be there. Even with sophisticated equipment, predicting the weather only serves to warn of impending danger. Thus, it’s necessary to be ready.

 2.       Mindset gets you through. What good is knowledge if you do not have the right attitude to face impending dangers? The capacity to hold on is what helps you get through the toughest tempests of life, especially the natural ones.

3.       Action in the midst of danger. Mr. Bengco identifies 5 R’s to remember during a calamity:

Calamities will always come. It affects everyone, regardless if one is rich or poor. In the end, the one who lives on is the one with the will to persist and the decisiveness to act accordingly. Do you have it in you? And can you be the exemplar to your fellow countrymen, in the midst of the rubble that lies before you?

*Art Ladaga is the current Programs Development Officer of the Colayco Foundation for Education.